Stuttgart

placed in the category: Cities

Stuttgart, the capital of the state Baden-Wurttemberg, is the sixth largest city in Germany. Since it's clearly an industrial city - the automobile industry was born here - many are surprised to see that the city is spread across hills, valleys and parks. Indeed, because of this unusual geography, Stuttgart is referred to as the city between forests and vineyards.
As a state capital, the political life in Stuttgart is vibrant. The state legislature, regional parliament, and the local council can all be found in Stuttgart. All of the state departments can also be found in the city.

Stuttgart is a city famous for cars and wine. In fact, it is often times referred to as the cradle of the automobile because the motorbike and the four-wheel automobile were invented here by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, respectively. Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Maybach automobiles are produced here along with automobile parts from Bosch and Mahle. Additionally, many automobile magazines are published from here.

Meanwhile, wine and beer has always been a prominent part of Stuttgart's history. Vineyards have started operating in city since 1108, the year that Blauberuren Abbey was given a vineyard by Monk Ulrich. In the 17th century, Stuttgart has become one of the largest wine-growing cities in Germany. It still retains this distinction until today. In addition, famous breweries such as Stuttgarter Hofbrau, Dinkelacker, and Schwaben Brau call Stuttgart their home.

City promotion is a big thing for Stuttgart. In 2007, the city branded itself as "The Creative Power of Germany," alluding to the fact the city has the highest number of scientific, academic, and research organizations. These include six Fraunhofer Institutes, two Max-Planck institutes, and the German Aerospace Center. The University of Stuttgart, the University of Hohenheim, and the Stuttgart Institute of Management and Technology are also based here.

In March 2008, the city adopted a new motto, "Das neue Herz Europas." This literally means "The New Heart of Europe." This is in reference to the city's plans to improve transport links to other countries in Europe under the Stuttgart 21 project. Work on this project would begin in 2010 and is expected to be completed on 2020.